Enter the Shadows
by betweenlightanddark
Summary: "Conceived of shadow, born of light. A being emerges, bringing about plight. In blood he'll write the history, of how these two worlds will cease to be."
1. Prologue

Prologue

Angry screams of defiance echoed through the stone walls. Struggling could be heard as well. He knew what was going to happen, as did everyone else around him, and he wasn't about to go down without a fight. Yet all his efforts were hopeless. He was no match for the guards and, even if he was, he had no where to go. Hyrule had become a death trap; monsters ravaged the fields leaving citizens with no means of transportation, the "trained" knights were clearly not prepared, law enforcement had pretty much fallen apart and who even knew what was going on in the capital above. No one could escape this chaos except the dead. To some of his fellow prisoners, this guy was lucky.

The prison was nothing more than a dark corridor beneath the palace with cells on either side. Only two torches illuminated its dreary existence; one by the door and one on the opposite end. It was mostly empty thanks to the number of executions lately and the fact that everyone was too focused on other things to even care.

In one of the cells sits a girl, no more than sixteen. As the door slams shut and the final echoes dissipate into silence, she shivers. Not from the fear, but from a sudden wave of coolness. The rags she uses as clothing don't work well for keeping her warm. She couldn't remember the prison ever being this cold before, even being underground. It was as if someone had blocked out the sun.

She sighed, thinking of the new fatality and wondering when her turn would come. She had certainly been there enough; Hylians don't look too kindly upon stealing, or beating up their knights for that matter. Not that she could blame them, but she didn't have a lot of options. With no parents and no one willing to hire her for her freakish appearance, it was the only way for her to obtain food- and real food, not the gross slop they served her now.

Perhaps she'd been cursed, it certainly made sense. Her parents could've royally pissed off the goddesses or a sorcerer or something, so he killed them and made their daughter a freak who was destined to have bad luck. Not that knowing if this was true would help her situation at all; it was just something she could think about during her endless hours. She'd come up with hundreds of reasons for her appearance; a house fire, her parents were tattoo artists, she was part fish. Each one only got cornier and more fantastical

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when the door opened again. _A shift change already,_ she wondered? No, she could here the guard jump nervously to his feet.

"What're yo…" but he didn't finish before his armor banged against the stone floor, indicating he'd been knocked out.

Footsteps followed. They were slow and heavy with no sign of hesitation. He certainly wasn't your average fellow if he could walk amongst the scum of Hyrule with such composure. The girl rearranged her hair so it would lie on front of her face, trying to look as if she were asleep.

The intruder stopped in front of her cell. She hoped with every ounce of her being that the darkness concealed the fear she felt at that moment. He was maybe twice the size of any normal man and at least five times as intimidating. In the light, which was rather poor, she could make out the dark red color of his dreaded hair that was pulled back in some form of headband. He had abnormally dark skin that highlighted his piercing, yellow eyes. He was dressed as a warrior of high class, cape and all. He crossed his arms, the slightest hint of a scowl on his face.

"And you must be Sora," not the slightest hint of a question.

She nearly jumped out of her skin. How could this man know her name? She had to get a hold of herself and keep herself from spitting out one of witty comebacks as he certainly didn't appear to be in the mood and she was sure he could break her tiny body like a twig. So she settled for the traditional, "Yeah. Who are you?"

"He's looking for you," he said.

She, too, crossed her arms, although she wasn't sure how effective that was while slumped in a corner. "That's not an answer, and who's looking for me?"

"The one who put you here."

Sora stood up suddenly, agitated by his avoidance of her questions. She turned toward the back wall of her cell so he couldn't gage her emotions, a habitual defense mechanism. "You mean Ben?" She shrugged. "Thanks for the warning but there's not much he can do to me with or without these steel bars, but if you see him, tell him I'd rather not deal with his bullshit right now."

The man behind her chuckled, no it was more of a cackle. It echoed unpleasantly against the stone walls, sending a chill up Sora's spine. She took a deep breath to remain calm and risked a glance over at him. His face had pulled itself into a devilish smile, a frightening sight on such a burly man. "You don't remember, do you?" He asked, his voice filled with wicked delight mixed with the tiniest hint of disbelief.

Sora had a bad feeling about the direction this conversation was headed. This guy obviously belonged in a nut house, but since she had no power to do anything about that fact, she had no choice but to play along. Well, play along or get her spine snapped in half as she was pretty sure that, if provoked, he would have no problem getting through her cage with his bare hands to do so. "Remember what?" She asked cautiously.

This only made him laugh more. Then, manifesting Sora's greatest fear- at least at that moment as her actual greatest fear was falling forever into a black abyss like those dreams she sometimes had while half asleep but that was irrelevant. He reached out and broke the lock with his bare hands. She leapt into a fighting stance as the door swung open. She didn't have any chance of beating him, but she thought maybe she could distract him enough to make an escape. But he just stood there, gesturing toward the door with his thumb.

"Go on and get out of here." He commanded. "Memory or not, I can't take a chance on him finding you."

"I-I don't understand." Sora said, confused. Her fists remained clenched in a ready position.

"There is a prophesy," the man elaborated. "One that speaks of a being who will bring destruction to both worlds. My _subordinate,_" he spat the word. "Seems to think that you are this being and plans to use your power to overthrow me."

Sora's eyes widened as she dropped all of her defenses. What did he mean? What power? Was she really the one from this prophesy? Did such a prophesy even exist? No, it couldn't. This man was crazy, she told herself, he didn't know what he was talking about. She took a deep breath to recompose herself and tried to shrug off his warning, but still it bothered her.

Suddenly, a great pressure filled the air. It was almost like a great concentration of power. The large man looked at the ceiling, trying to find the source of it. Then, just as suddenly as it came, it was gone and a crackling sound came with it, like glass has broken on the floor above. He scowled and took off down the hallway. "Just, be on your toes Sora." He called back.

Sora scooted out of her cell and watched him leave. The prison was once again in its hushed state. Everyone else was asleep, completely oblivious to the scene that had just played out there. She shivered again, but not from the cold this time. A bad feeling had taken root in her stomach and she knew it was far from over, whatever _it_ may be.

A/N: Woo! It's up! It's finally up! :D

I've been meaning to write this for a while, but I always seem to get distracted by something. But I figured I have plenty of time now. I never do anything during study hall and I never really get to play video games anymore- except minecraft, there's always time for minecraft XD- so here goes nothing.

By the way, this is a rewrite of my fic called Twilight Guardian. If you haven't read it, DON'T it is awful! However, I do love the story and characters, so I'm adding some MAJOR improvements which I hope you all will enjoy. I'm not going to push you to R&R today. Aren't you excited? XD But of course, if you want to it is always appreciated


	2. Ch 1 Letters

A/N:

Lalalala. Oh hello, didn't see you there :P

Haha, ooooh that wasn't funny at all, so I'm not sure why I typed it. Anywhoooo, welcome my friends to chapter one! Yay, aren't we all just SO excited?

As fanfiction custom dictates, I must now insert a disclaimer- although the name of this website is FANficiton, meaning everyone here is a fan and would therefore not own anything. I mean, if owned the Zelda series, I would just make this a game instead of writing a crappy story about it. Sorry to take my rant out on you guys, it's not anyone's fault I just hate pointing out the obvious. But if we're gonna do this, we may as well have a little fun with it, right? So here to do my disclaimer is- da da dadaaa- Slenderman!

Slenderman: Helloooo wooorld. I demannd you bring me your childrennn.

Not now! What am I paying you for.

Slenderman: This better be worth the twenty dolllars…. The does not own Zelda or anything related to it. She also does not own me, although she wished she does.

Silence! Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The Hour of Twilight.

They say that it's the time of day when you can feel most connected to their world; the world of those who were lost. At least, that's what Rusl had told him once.

Link knew better. He'd tried feeling a connection to that other world, her world. He knew it was stupid, maybe even pathetic, to try to feel her presence. There was only one way into the Twilight Realm and that was through the mirror, the one she'd shattered into nothing. He'd spent hours wishing things could've ended differently. She could've left the mirror intact and they'd still be able to see each other again. Was the world of light really that repulsive to her?

No, she did it to protect both their worlds. Link knew this, and he knew it was for the best. That still didn't change how he felt, how much he missed his companion. Rusl had been right about one thing, this hour always brought him loneliness. It was weird, being with someone every second for a long period of time, and then suddenly, you can never see each other again. It was like having one of your appendages suddenly chopped off.

She'd become part of him, as much as he'd hate to admit it. He occasionally found himself struggling to hold his tongue around the villagers or wondering what Midna would say if she were in his everyday situations. She plagued his thoughts like a stubborn virus.

If he wasn't thinking about Midna, he was thinking about his adventures-which, much to his dismay, still included her- and how his old/new farm hand life was rather boring. Day after day he woke up, only to do the same thing; help Fado with the goats, sword training with Colin, and whatever else the village needed done that day. Sometimes, they would have gatherings in town where he would tell his stories, but that was the most excitement there was in this slow little village. He ached to go back out in the fields, to be able to roam free, but there were people that needed him here. He couldn't just up and leave, he would break their hearts.

"HEY! ! I'VE GOT YOUR MAIL!" called a familiar voice from outside.

"Oh jeez," he groaned to himself, slinking further into the chair he's set up by his main level window to watch the beauty of the sunset. It had been his daily routine since he returned. Despite his better judgment, he still hoped he might get somehow reach the Twilight Realm if he tried hard enough. Even so, he didn't appreciate his reveries being interrupted, especially not by the mailman. Although most people didn't know that it was he who'd saved them from the darkness six months ago, there were those he'd rescued from hordes of monsters or had heard of his heroic deeds and constantly contacted him to express their gratitude. He would occasionally get mail from Telma or Renado, but most of his mail came from a group of young girls in castle town that usually just squealed when they saw him. Plus, the mail carrier kind of freaked him out, not that he would ever say so out loud.

Reluctantly, he got to his feet and made his way down from his tree house. He smiled politely at the mail carrier who told him he had three letters- as if he couldn't count them himself- and proceeded to salute him before taking off into the village with that ridiculous run of his. Link let out a huge sigh and climbed back up safety before the odd man finished his rounds and came back through.

Once inside, he went through his letters. The first was from Ooccoo, telling him that he should come up and visit sometime. He always wondered how she was able to send letters, being, basically, a chicken with a human face and not technically having hands to write with. Not to mention the fact that her entire race lived in the sky and, last he checked, the mail carrier didn't have wings.

He shook those thoughts away and continued looking. The next was- surprise, surprise- from one of his fans. He threw it on the table with a few others to look at later, being too polite to just throw it away.

The final letter had no return address, but was in a fancy envelope sealed with the intricate crest of the royal family. His eyes widened with surprise as he popped it open.

_Link,_ it read

_It has been a while since I've heard from you, and I sincerely hope you're doing well and have enjoyed your time back home. After all you've done for Hyrule, you deserve it and I cannot thank you enough. However, I must ask you to return to Castle Town, at your earliest convenience of course. I was going through some old documents when I found some information about the Twilight that I believe you'll find interesting._

_Please consider it. I hope to see you soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Zelda_

He set the letter down on the table and smiled. "This may be just what I needed," he said. Was he not just thinking about how he wished to be back in the fields? Sure, he couldn't just leave the villagers without a good reason, but he certainly couldn't refuse an invitation from the Princess. So, with a new zip in his step, he made his way to the basement where he kept his old things.

Epona whinnied as Link threw his equipment bag over her back. "Sorry girl," he murmured, rubbing her nose. She nuzzled him back, accepting his apology. Like her master, she seemed thrilled to be heading out on the road again. Link had never considered it until now, but after months of seemingly nonstop travel, it must've been a drastic change for her to suddenly be back in the forest where there was hardly any room to run save for when he went to herd the goats for Fado. She probably craved the exercise.

Once both his pack and saddle were comfortably secured around Epona, he stepped back and made a mental checklist of everything he needed. He was just going to the castle, so he didn't need all of the fancy weapons he'd obtained on his travels. He had only his sword and shield, bow, a few potions in case he met monsters along the way, and whatever food he needed for the journey there and back. He'd already spent the last few days explaining to the villagers where he'd be and said his goodbyes. They'd taken this news much better than he expected- except for the children who'd, predictably, put up a fuss at this new development, but they eventually got over it. Some of them had even noticed his discontentment and had expected him to leave sooner. That's not to say they didn't care, they loved him and just wanted him to be happy. There was, however, one person that wasn't too keen on the idea of his departure.

"Link?" Ilia stood, hands entangled nervously at her front. She'd been avoiding him since he'd decided to leave for the castle, only ever showing her face when she'd take Epona down to the spirit spring for a bath and even then she ignored his attempts at conversation. She looked over Link and Epona now, he dressed in his Hero's garb and his horse clad in traveling equipment. "Guess I made it just in time to say goodbye, huh?"

He shrugged. "I wouldn't have left without saying goodbye to you, even if I had to bust down your door to do it."

She giggled, glaring at him mockingly. "You wouldn't dare!" His only response was a mischievous grin, which caused her to break into another fit of giggles. But afterwards, her smile faded. She went to go pet her friend's patiently waiting mare, feeling the need to do something productive in the silence. Epona nudged her back affectionately as Link watched the two of them, waiting for Ilia to continue.

"So," she finally said, "Are you and Princess Zelda, you know, close?"

It took him a second to realize what she was asking, but when he did, he burst into laughter. "You mean love?" He'd never even considered it. Sure, he'd rescued her from Ganondorf, but that was mainly to save Hyrule. That didn't mean he was in love with her, or that she would return such feelings. He wasn't even sure what their relationship was at this point. "No, of course not. What would give you that idea?"

Ilia had turned red, embarrassed at voicing her incorrect assumptions. "I hear the villagers talk all the time. They think that's why you've been so distant lately. And… it's not like we know what's going on if you don't tell us. You never talk to us Link."

He frowned. Had he been distant lately? He hadn't noticed it before, but now it seemed so obvious. Holing himself up every day to watch the sunset was never something he'd done before. He used to play with the children all of the time, but now he usually tried to avoid it. Then there was Ilia. They used to tell each other everything; jokes, secrets. But when was the last time they'd had a conversation with just the two of them? He couldn't remember.

"I'm sorry, I just…" He struggled to find the right words, not really thinking out what he was going to say before he started his sentence. "It's all been so complicated. One day I'm a simple goat herder, the next I'm some legendary hero charged with saving the world." Not to mention a whole other world that nobody but he and Zelda knew about that he'll never be able to visit again anyway, but he wasn't about to go into _that_ at the moment. "Now all of a sudden I'm back to leading a normal life again. As much as I wanted this back during my journeys, I can't just forget all I've seen and done."

"You can always talk to us, we just want to help."

He smiled at her. "I know, but… part of me is still out there. I feel there's something I still need to do, and if I don't get that out of my system I might not ever be rid of this restless feeling."

Ilia closed her eyes, letting his confessions sink in. She stepped away from the horse and turned to Link. "You will come back, right? And you won't hide things anymore?"

He took her hands in his own. "Of course. You're my family, all of you, and Ordon will always be my home. I will never leave you behind."

Ilia freed her hands from his grip and hugged him tight. "Be safe, okay?" He hugged her back and nodded. The two stayed like that for a minute, taking in each other's presence before they let go. Ilia turned to the horse by her side. "And you don't let Link push you too hard, otherwise he's going to get it."

Epona seemed to snort in response. The hero laughed as he climbed into the saddle, glad that his best friend was no longer mad at him. "I'll see you later, Ilia." He said. She smiled and nodded in response as Link prodded Epona toward the forest.

"Oh, and Link." Ilia called as she waved as his receding figure. "Say hi to Telma for me!"

* * *

A/N: Aaaaaand, that's a wrap. Jeez that took me a while. I really hate doing these emotional scenes- especially with Ilia as I am not too fond of her- but I felt that this one had to be done.

Anyway… rate and review! It is always greatly appreciated! :P


	3. Ch 2 Back in the Saddle

A/N: Hello fellow fanfic lovers! At least, I assume you're fanfic lovers because if you hate them, well, you're on the wrong site. Either way, welcome to chapter two! :D

Due to my lack of creativity, I have no special "guest" to do my disclaimer today but it anyone has any suggestions, it would be much appreciated. But for now, I'll do it myself.

I do not own Legend of Zelda, or anything related to it.

* * *

The midday sun shone brightly overhead warming Link's skin as he and Epona made their way to Castle Town. It was a relatively hot summer day but the occasional breeze, which counteracted the rays of heat from above kept the air moderately pleasant. Link closed his eyes as another gust of wind came rolling through the fields, enjoying the feel of it against his face and the melodic sound that came as it rustled through the grass. It was always calming out here. Even when it had been crawling with bulbins, the fields offered a source of solace and tranquility. It seemed to span on forever, leaving one with only their thoughts for miles on end. During his travels, it had given Link plenty of time to think through his situation and learn to accept his new role.

Of all the things he'd missed these past two months while in Ordon, Hyrule Field was definitely his top third. It was outranked – goddesses only know why he'd ranked them- only by the pure adrenaline that came with a fight, especially a tough fight, and his traveling companion who he refused to think about. He was already having a tough time trying to keep her out of his head before he left, but in this vast expanse of memory-inducing space where he had nothing to do but _think_, he may as well have been fighting off Twilight beasts with a wooden sword. He shook his head, trying to erase these thoughts and focus on the journey. Although he was positive Epona could get them to their destination, it was still technically his job to lead her in the right direction. Besides, his mare was very in tune with his emotions and seemed to be able to tell when her master became lost in his thoughts. Link didn't like the idea of leaving Epona alone to complete this task; it wouldn't be fair to her.

Epona whinnied, tossing her head about as is she knew he'd been thinking about her. Link patted her side.

"How're you doing girl?"

The mare snorted in response. He realized that she was probably getting tired. This had been the most exercise she'd had in a while and it was wearing on her. Not to mention they'd been traveling since early this morning and they could both use a break.

Link led her to a stream not that far ahead and hopped off the saddle. His horse drank the fresh water gratefully before turning around to graze on some grass. Link, too, took a large drink of water and decided to search in his pack for some lunch.

The first thing he spotted was the letter he'd received from Zelda. He dug it out and read it again. _I believe I have made an important discovery concerning the Twilight_. As he glazed over those words, he wondered what, exactly, Zelda had meant. Had she discovered something about the Twilight's past, something that had been overlooked for years? Or perhaps she had found another way into that world. His heart swelled at the thought.

A voice called from across the field, breaking through his reverie. "Hey, you in the green! Look out!"

Link was just about to look toward the voice when he heard the unmistakable pounding of hooves from a bullbo coming up close behind him. Mentally cursing himself for not noticing it before, he quickly rolled out of its path just as it trampled over the spot he'd been only seconds before. He watched as the beast and its two riders continued to thunder down the river bank toward the only other Hylian Link had seen for miles. It was hard to make out any of their details from this distance, but based on the voice he'd heard a moment ago it was safe to assume that it was a girl.

She didn't move as the pig raced right at her, standing as if braced for impact. Why hadn't she moved? Had she not expected it to come after her? Link yelled at her to get out of the way as he dug out his bow and arrows from his pack, not having enough time to get there himself and push her to safety. Still she continued to stare down the pig which was quickly closing in. Link only had one shot to keep this girl from being crushed. He let go of the arrow and it flew across the fields, finally lodging itself right in the beast's neck.

It squealed in pain as it fell to the ground, nearly skidding into the girl's feet. Link admired his shooting for a second before pocketing the bow and trading it for his sword. The pig may have been down, but its riders were still alive and out for blood. He hadn't made it half the distance when the first bulblin picked itself up off the ground and went for the defenseless girl. He bit his lip and ran faster, hoping he'd be able to get there before she could get hurt.

But instead of freezing up like Link had expected, she took a fighting stance and was ready when the bulblin swung at her, ducking so that he just missed her head. At the same time she'd reached up, grabbing the weapon's handle and in one fluid motion managed to kick out and trip her opponent, causing him to lose his grip on the weapon as she pulled it out of his hand. Without skipping a beat, she lifted the spiked club and brought it back down on his head.

The whole sequence had happened so quickly that Link found himself gaping. That is, until an arrow whizzed past his head. He turned to face the other bulblin who'd just managed to detangle itself from under the bullbo's corpse. After deflecting a few more arrows, he finished it off with a few swings of his sword before turned to the girl.

She definitely wasn't what he'd expected. She wasn't much shorter than him, but she was tiny, as though she hadn't eaten in a while. This was a rather safe assumption as her clothes seemed to be made up of old, ragged articles she'd hastily thrown together. What really caught his eye, however, was her skin. It wasn't, well, _natural_. While one side was a lightly tanned peach, her other side was colored a bluish-grey, a color which he'd never before seen on a Hylian before, nonetheless _half_ of one. Yet, there was something familiar about this girl, something he couldn't quite place even though he was sure he'd never seen her before.

He must've been staring a bit too long because she now shot him a weird look. "Y'know, you have some rather impressive fighting skills," the girl said, her face not at all matching her tone.

Link suspiciously raised an eyebrow as he opened his mouth to thank her- being the ever polite boy that he way- but she quickly cut him off.

"Unfortunately," she continued, now glaring at him. "You'll always be a second rate fighter unless you learn to pay as much attention to your surroundings as you have my skin." With that, she disposed of the stolen club and turned indignantly in the other direction.

Link flinched, remembering his lessons as a child about how rude it was to stare, plus he felt stupid for being so distracted earlier. He kind of deserved that comment, after all, how was she to know it was he who saved the entire kingdom from certain doom 6 months ago- certainly not something a "second-rate fighter" was capable of- and the way he gaped at her probably made him look like a complete fool. Besides, he'd learned from Midna not to argue with agitated women, as it would always end badly. "I'm sorry," he said. "It's just that…"

She whirled back around, cutting him off again. "No, I get it. You have to get a good look at the freak show." Her hands moved agitatedly to her hips as she worked up the iciest look she could manage.

"No, no!" Link said quickly. "It's not that! It's just…" What was it, exactly? He would like to think that he wasn't ignorantly looking at her discolored skin, wondering how exactly something like that happened, but he was. He really should've thought before opening his mouth. The girl looked agitated by his hesitation; as if she wanted to say _Wrap it up, bub. I have better things to do than listen to you stumble out excuses._ He spewed out the first thing that came to mind. "Where did you learn to fight? You're very talented. And I've seen things a lot weirder than you, trust me."

She rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks." She said, voice dripping with venom.

_Nice one, Link._ Realizing that trying to justify his actions wasn't working- he never was very good with words- he decided to try something else. "Are you hungry?" He asked. "I was just looking for some lunch when the bulbin's came by." He watched her face distort in thought. She did her best to keep the anger plastered on, but he could see the internal struggle she was having between her pride and the possibility of a free meal. In the end, hunger won.

"Fine." She crossed her arms, still trying to act defiant, and strode over to the stream where Link's belongings still sat. The hero did his best to hold back a laugh. _Women, always so stubborn. _

The two plopped themselves down in the grass, Link digging in his bag while the girl, still putting on her act, looked anywhere but at him. After some digging, he'd managed to procure a loaf of bread and a wheel of Ordon goat cheese. He broke off a piece of each and handed it to her silently. It wasn't much, but she seemed to gobble it down like it was the best thing in the world. Link raised an eyebrow; afraid she might swallow too fast and choke.

She shoved the last bit in her mouth, and noticed the weird look he was giving her. She mumbled her thanks as she chewed, all trace of bitterness gone. Ah, the miracles food could work. Again, the hero almost laughed. "No problem." He said, taking a bite of his own. "My name's Link by the way."

She nodded in acknowledgement. "Sora."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sora." He said politely. The two sat in silence for a while as Link continued to chew his meal, the only sound coming from the grass being ground up by Epona's teeth. So he decided to speak again. "That really was impressive, what you did before. You're very…" He paused, searching for the right word. "Graceful. Kind of like a dancer. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"I… don't remember." She said quietly, looking out at the sky.

"Don't remember?" He asked, genuinely confused. _How does one forget something like that?_

She shrugged, still not looking at him. "Yeah. There are a lot of things I don't remember, actually. It's not big deal."

"Like what?"

Her head turned sharply, eyebrows furrowed together. "What good would that information do you?" She asked defensively.

Link held his hands up in the universal sign of _whoa, calm down, _wondering what he did to set her off this time_._ "Just curious."

Sora let out an exasperated sigh, but seemed to accept the answer. She no longer looked on edge. Her gaze went back to wandering and she didn't bother to respond for a while. "Like the first several years of my life." She shook her head. "But I don't want to bother you with this story."

The hero shrugged. "I don't mind. Go ahead."

She looked at him, surprise evident on her face. Her teeth dug into her bottom lip as she contemplated letting her guard down. Link understood her hesitation. He wasn't the most talkative person himself, but it couldn't be easy for anyone to explain their life's story to a complete stranger. Epona seemed to whinny in encouragement and the girl sighed.

"It was about six years ago." She began, searching Link's face for any sign of judgment. When she saw none, she felt it was safe to continue. "Someone had apparently found me passed out in the desert; I'd been out there wandering for some reason. So they brought me back to Castle Town and took me to the doctor. I woke up a few days later and couldn't remember a thing." She shook her head and looked at her left hand. "Not how I got there, where I came from, not even where I got this stupid…" Her hands clenched into fists, and she returned her gaze back to her listener, letting out another sigh. "Nothing but my name… Ever since then, well, I've had to fend for myself while trying to figure this out but…."

She didn't need to say the rest, he already knew. He nodded, letting the story sink in. "I understand," he said comfortingly. "A similar thing happened to me, only I was much younger and my village pitched into help raise me. They'd found me wandering alone in Ordon Forest and once the trauma had passed, well…" he cracked a half-smile. "I couldn't remember anything either."

Sora couldn't help but smile back. The two had been through similar experiences, and being able to share those experiences made them feel like they weren't alone. They sat in silence for a few minutes before she finally decided to stand up, stretching. "Thank you," she said. "For the meal, for listening. I'm glad I got to talk to you about this. You're the first person who actually cared to hear it."

Link followed her example, wiping bread crumbs off his lap as he stood. "It was my pleasure." He assured her, and Epona snorted as if in agreement. He then thought of something. "Do you want a ride to Castle Town?" He offered. "That is where you're going, right? I'm heading there myself."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Of course. Epona won't mind, will you girl?" The mare whinnied in permission. "See?" Sora nodded hesitantly and allowed Link to help her on the back of the saddle. Once he'd positioned himself in front, he clicked his tongue and the three rode off toward their destination.

* * *

Yay! Plot development! Well, sort of….If you squint….

Reviews are always much appreciated! Until next time, this is betweenlightanddark reminding you not to put vanilla pudding in the television!


	4. Ch 3 Reading Gibberish

Hello! Are you ready for another exciting installment of Enter the Shadows? Of course you are! Though I must warn you, there's some slight AU going on in this chapter. It's not so much a changing of the world so much as it is my interpretation of it, so I apologize to those of you who get really anal about that sort of thing (because I know those people are out there.) That being said; please enjoy the chapter!

Legend of Zelda and anything related to it belongs to Nintendo. Praise be to their genius!

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It didn't take Link long to maneuver his way through the bustling townsfolk, who gave him plenty of room as they went about their day, to the large doors of the castle's protective wall. The guards, however, weren't as easy to get past. Link thought they seemed a little jumpy and briefly wondered if their experiences with the Twilight beasts had anything to do with that. After showing them Zelda's letter, and mentally slapping himself for not thinking to do that sooner, he finally managed to get one of them to escort him to the princess. He would've been happy to do so himself, having memorized the layout after getting lost many times in the vast labyrinth of hallways on his last visit- something Midna had mercilessly chastised him for- but since the throne room had been destroyed in his battle with Ganondorf, there was no way to know where Zelda was conducting her business these days.

Just like outside, it was rather busy inside the castle; maids carrying piles of laundry and wash buckets, diplomats scurrying off to meetings, guards making their rounds and a few large, sweaty shirtless guys who Link assumed were working on repairs. Not that he was all that surprised, with everything that had happened; things were going to be pretty hectic until the kingdom managed to get back on its feet.

The guard, however, remained quiet as he led Link up the main staircase to the second floor. They made a few turns and ventured down a couple identically decorated hallways before stopping in front of an inconspicuous-looking door on their right. The guard knocked softly as he opened the door. He bowed slightly to the inside and announced Link's arrival. The hero couldn't see the princess, but her voice, clear and bright, emerged from the room, telling the guard to let her guest in. He complied and gestured for Link to enter before returning to his post.

Zelda was rearranging papers on her desk as the Ordonian walked in, placing them in neat piles to be dealt with later. He took this brief moment to take in his surroundings. The room was fairly small compared to what he'd expected. It comfortably fit the desk, two chairs and the bookshelf that furnished the room but there wasn't much space for anything else. The walls were also fairly plain. The one opposite the door was made of stone and sported a small window that looked out over the courtyard. The rest of them, however, were painted off-white with nothing in terms of decoration. He briefly wondered what this room was normally used for and how much of a change this was from the princess's normal study.

She, herself looked as beautiful as ever, her blond hair framing her flawless face and bright blue eyes that showed no sign of fatigue despite the stress she must've been under. She wore her usual white gown with the purple bodice and the royal crest that hung from her waist. Finishing with her papers, she smiled at him, a smile that lit her whole face. "It's so good to see you again, Link."

"The pleasure is all mine, Princess." He responded, bowing politely. "Although, if you're busy at the moment, I'd be happy to come back later."

"No, no, it's perfectly alright." She said, waving off his concerns. "It's nothing that can't wait until later. Also, there's no need to bow to me, you've done so much for Hyrule and you are my friend, after all."

Link just shrugged, not entirely sure he deserved such respect from the princess, or that he'd earned the prestigious title of being her "friend." Sure, he'd done miraculous things, things nobody else even dared to _think_ about, but he'd done that simply out of the goodness of his heart. As far as he was concerned, he was just doing what needed to be done. The status of hero and the powers that came along with it hadn't changed that; he would have done those things anyway. And although Zelda may feel grateful to him for saving both her life and kingdom, they didn't exactly know each other very well. Perhaps he was just modest that way. But there was something about the way she was looking at him…

He shook off those thoughts. He wasn't exactly good at emotional situations and decided to change the subject. "So, how is the restoration of Hyrule coming along?"

He watched the princess's face switch into business mode as she thought up an answer. "Everything has been coming along quite smoothly, actually. Trade skyrocketed back up now that the fields are clear, and besides the explosion in the castle there was very little in terms of damages. Of course, there's always the mental trauma and loss of life to deal with, so it will still take a while for everything to return to normal." She paused a second to gauge Link's expression. He was nodding politely as if to say; "Oh, that's good to hear," but Zelda figured that his interest was just that, politeness. She shook her head, "but I don't need to bore you with politics." Link opened his mouth as if to protest, but she cut him off. "Please, sit down. I have something to show you."

Deciding it wasn't worth arguing; he followed the princess's orders and sat in the chair opposite hers as she walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out a stack of papers that had been wedged between two rather old looking books, one of which was labeled "The Book of Mudora." She spread the stack on the desk so Link could get a look at them. Each was written in what appeared to be another language, one Link had never seen before, nonetheless could read. "What are they?" he asked.

"They're letters to my father," she answered, "from the former king of the Twilight."

Link's eyes widened in surprise as he picked up the parchment closest to him and examined with great interest. They'd come from _her _world. He wondered what secrets they held, what stories they would tell if only he could read them. Yet he almost didn't believe it. From what he understood, the Twili hated the "spoiled light dwellers," so what reason would they have to try and contact them?

"They're written in ancient Hylian," Zelda explained, "The written language that would've been prevalent while the Twili were still part of this world. Now it is only known to royals and scholars for the purpose of translating old documents."

"So what do they say?" Link asked, realizing this meant Zelda could actually read this gibberish. "And why would they try to contact the light world?"

Zelda frowned slightly, as if the answer bothered her. "I'm not entirely sure. One letter said something about "the time has come" but this wasn't exactly something that was made public. My father was the only one who ever read these letters, and was the one who opened communications in the first place, supposedly because the goddesses told him to." Link was even more confused by this explanation, but didn't bother to vocalize it. Hero or not, he was not one to question the goddesses motives. After all, who knew why they did anything? There was also the possibility that the late King had been imagining things. In which case, he wouldn't say anything at the risk of insulting Zelda's father.

"As to the content of the letters," the princess continued, "well, that's another story entirely." She crossed over to the other side of her desk and resettled herself in the chair, adjusting her skirts so they wouldn't fold underneath. "These letters were dated about sixteen years ago, so it probably wasn't too much earlier when communications began. At the time, there was a young woman who worked here as a servant. Her name was Mae. I was very young at the time, but I remember her. She was always a bright and caring woman and a hard worker. However, she had no family and ached to escape her monotonous life for one of adventure and excitement. As luck would have it, she overheard my father discussing plans with one of his advisors to contact the Twilight. Their main problem was finding someone willing to travel between worlds to deliver the letters and she immediately volunteered, hoping this was her chance for excitement."

"I cannot say what, exactly, happened on those trips into the Twilight, only that she sometimes had to wait days for the Twili ruler to respond. But apparently, during that time, she began to fall in love."

Link jumped in surprise, swallowed some of his saliva wrong and began to choke on it. Zelda looked at him with concern, but he just waved her off. "With one of the Twili?" He asked when he was finally able to breath.

She nodded. "From the sound of it, the king wasn't too pleased. It only made things worse when he found out she was pregnant."

The hero's body couldn't even form a response this time. He was glad Zelda was giving him time to let this all soak in as he was pretty sure he couldn't handle any more surprises at this point. "By Ordona," he muttered. Of all the things he expected these letters to contain, a soap opera was the last thing he expected- especially because there was no such thing as a television and had no way of knowing what a soap opera even was. To top it all off, this story was going against everything he thought he knew about the Twilight. There was absolutely no _possible _way a Twili and a Hylian had fallen in love, not when their entire history had been one of hatred and ignorance. Besides, hadn't Midna said that light and twilight could never mix? Wasn't that why she'd destroyed the Mirror, and left him here feeling restless and-as much as he hated to admit it- _alone_?

There were so many questions buzzing through his head that he had trouble turning them into words. Where does one even start? "So, what happened?" He finally managed. It was a vague question, but he might as well let her finish the story before he started firing off questions.

"The letters stopped coming at that point. Mae was held under the watchful eyes of the Twili for any complications. They were afraid, I think, of what would happen her, and to the child. For years it was nothing. My father continued to send letters, hoping to get some word on how she was doing- they'd found a different messenger of course- but he never got any response. Then suddenly, that last one arrived." She pointed to the last letter on the table. The hero looked at it - a foolish act on his part because he couldn't even read it- and noticed it was surprisingly shorter than the rest. "It's dated about six years ago. The Twili King didn't even bother to write complete sentences, just messy, short phrases. It reads; 'The child, we cannot keep her. The prophecy, we'll put ourselves in danger. Deal with her as you see fit. She knows nothing.'"

"Prophesy?" Link found himself blurting.

The princess shook her head. "I have no idea. I'm just as confused as you are." She took the last letter, as if hoping to find something she'd missed before. When nothing appeared, she let out a sigh as she placed it back on the desk. "But there is someone who can help us understand." Link looked at her expectantly, his brain too jumbled to put the pieces together. "Mae's child," Zelda clarified, "the letter said they sent her here. All we have to do is find her. That's what I need you for."

Link frowned. It seemed simple enough- find the missing girl. But how does one find someone that hasn't been heard from in six years? He didn't even know what she looked like. He could always ask Zelda what Mae looked like to get some idea, but the child's appearance would be muddled by her father's Twili features. What would a half-Hylian half-Twili….

At that moment, something finally clicked in the hero's brain. Six years ago, someone else had talked about that, about 'knowing nothing.' "The girl." She'd had odd skin, a tone he swear he'd seen somewhere before but couldn't quite place and only covered half of her body. It had been dulled after all the time spent in the sun, but he felt stupid for not realizing it before.

He didn't notice he'd said anything until he saw Zelda looking at him inquisitively. "I know…" he cleared his throat and tried to clarify. "I know who it is."

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A/N: Ooo, you saw that coming didn't you? I have a feeling that I'm not very subtle, as much as I try to be ^^; Oh well…

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